Assessing the Music Curriculum
Formative Assessment in Music
In music, assessment needs to be proportionate and authentic to the subject. The best assessment practices have a clear purpose and provide meaningful information about what pupils know and can do, shaping future teaching.
In 2012, Ofsted published ‘Music in Schools: Wider Still, and Wider'. This report was based on evidence from 194 specialist music inspections and good practice visits in schools between 2008 and 2011. This included provision in class lessons, additional instrumental and vocal tuition, and extra-curricular musical activities.
In their observations they found that:
- ‘Too much music teaching continued to be dominated by the spoken or written word, rather than by musical sounds. Lessons were planned diligently, but not always prepared for musically’.
- ‘In both primary and secondary schools, insufficient use was made of audio recording and teachers’ listening skills to assess and improve pupils’ work’.
- ‘In too many instances there was insufficient emphasis on active music making’.
- ‘Too much use was made of non-musical activities’.
- ‘In too many cases there was not enough music in music lessons’.
In 2015 the ISM (Incorporated Society of Musicians) published guidance on developing assessment frameworks for the new National Curriculum, with the opening statement:
‘Assessment of musical activity should be rooted in the reality of the musical activity taking place’.
Chiming with the Ofsted observations, the most effective practice supports and enhances musical processes, and does not interrupt musical learning. However, maintaining these aspirations in a school context is challenging; music and other performance-based subjects try, as far as possible, to align themselves with a whole-school approach.
Whilst written work can go some way to reveal how pupils have progressed (see suggestions below) there are more effective methods. In 2012 Ofsted also published ‘Music in Schools: Promoting Good Practice.’ This document states that:
‘Good teaching over time can be evident in recordings and scores of pupils’ work. A key feature of good teaching is that audio or video recordings are made of pupils’ performing and composing, to help them listen to and improve their work. These recordings can show improvement in the quality and sophistication of pupils’ musical responses, and they can show good assessment – over a long period or in a short project.’
The implication of this is that teachers should feel empowered to capture pupil work using video and audio recording devices at any opportunity. This can be very simple, using pre-existing technology that many departments already benefit from. A tablet computer is extremely effective. Managing the work that has been captured may require collaboration with IT teams, in particular the secure storage of files. This would go some way to creating a portfolio for pupils that grows through their school careers and could provide an extremely interesting stimulus for engaging conversations about pupil work. This is all part of ongoing formative assessment, which can be tracked using ‘KPIs’ (see curriculum framework in Appendix 1).
This does not mean that there is no place for written work in music. Activities of value include:
- Starter quizzes reviewing the ‘fingertip knowledge’ that is required in each unit of work.
- Written reflection activities such as creative journals that both support students’ learning and help them to document their learning.
- Lyric writing, writing down chord sequences when songwriting and using musical notation to support a composition or performance piece. These can also be used during homework activities.
There is cautionary advice from Ofsted:
‘Do not assume that simply copying out a table of rhythmic values means that pupils can accurately clap a two-bar rhythm using crotchets, quavers and semiquavers. Words and notations should be supporting musical learning.’
In this way, writing down objectives, facts or copying a paragraph about the history of the renaissance period do note evidence progress in music, and more musical tasks are preferable for maintaining intrinsically musical learning. Written assessments, while essential at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, are not able to capture most of the musical learning that occurs practically, and their weighting should be adjusted accordingly.
Summative Assessment in Music
Currently, there are no common assessments as part of this music curriculum. However, all the units provide opportunities for summative assessment. Just as the curriculum is a balance of knowledge and skills in technical, constructive, and critical engagement in music, assessment should also reflect this balance.
Notably, the Year 7 assessment materials include a baseline listening test alongside performing and composing tasks, allowing teachers to build a holistic picture of their new cohort. Aside from this, summative assessment should be infrequent; the third unit of every year includes an extended task that brings together learning of curriculum content from that year which can inform teacher planning for the year ahead.
Recovery and Catch-up in Music
There has been significant disruption to the delivery of music during the covid pandemic. Access to specialist classrooms for delivery of lessons and the guidance for practical music in schools have constrained the curriculum (for example, equipment usage, singing and work in groups). Additionally, guidance was published very last minute and has changed during the pandemic, causing confusion, and negatively impacting the confidence of staff and students.
As we move away from restrictions, schools have an opportunity to reset and ensure that their provision sufficiently addresses the full intent of the National Curriculum. Students will then receive a creative and authentic learning experience that will help them to recover musically and deliver their entitlement to a broad and inspiring curriculum, both in and beyond the classroom.